Counterfeit
by ZoeKar
Summary: In the near future, people are devided to two sections; the poor and the rich. At 20 years of age, everyone has one shot to go to the Haven and live a privilaged, well-adjusted life as equals. Only one tenth of the people who take the tests pass, however. And this year, it's Kara's turn. (the 3% AU absolutely no one asked for but I binged the first season and I had thoughts)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Establishing myself in the Supergirl fandom one fic at a time.**

Today was the day. Sky blue eyes snapped open as the thought made its way to the girl's mind. Today was the day. She hastily got out of the weathered mattress she called bed and tied her unkempt hair into a messy ponytail, strands falling around her face. She didn't bother changing her clothes, she didn't have anything better to wear anyway. Taking a deep breath, she walked to the window and jumped outside. She never used the door, something about jumping out the window always made her feel… freer. Hoards of people were already making their way to the central offices; the exam center, whatever everyone liked to call it. It was a huge building on the other side of the wall and a rite of passage from rags to riches. A privilege that only a tenth of all the people who were there would manage to enjoy after everything.

There were people all around her with their families and friends, looking like they had definitely seen better days. She saw people walking hand in hand, in pairs, in groups, some chatting enthusiastically and some with a forlorn expression on their faces. She felt a pang of jealousy settle in the pit of her stomach, then. She had no one to talk to, no one to take her mind off what was about to happen. It was the most important day of their lives, and she had no one to share it with. Her sister, only a year older than her, had already gone through this a year ago and she hadn't seen her since. She hoped it was because she had actually passed the tests and not because she had gotten killed in the process. She knew her sister, however, she knew how tough she was, she was fine. She had to be.

It was a forty-five-minute walk from her place to the headquarters. She had lost count of how many steps she had climbed when she finally saw the imposing building in its entirety, the huge 'L' that was adorned everywhere putting an extra weight on her chest. The whole building was in the shape of the letter, as she would later come to realize.

* * *

"Be sure everyone's in position. I don't want last year's events repeating themselves."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And go tell Corben that I'll need to speak to him after the announcement. Have him wait in my office."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And for goodness' sake, Lena, at least act like you want to be here. People would kill to be in your place."

 _'People_ will _kill to be in my place…'_ "Right. I'm sorry."

"Go now. The ceremony's about to begin."

* * *

Put these on." A red t-shirt and a pair of blue sweatpants were shoved into Kara's arms. They were exactly her size, she realized but didn't question it. The people here probably knew at what age she had lost her first tooth, so of course they would know her clothes size.

"Please do not forget your locker number," came a robotic voice from the speakers and some people laughed.

"As if I'm ever going back to those rags after wearing these," a man exclaimed, his hands running up and down the soft material of his new clothes.

"Everyone please gather in the main hall. You have five minutes," a woman, obviously high in the ranks, spoke from the door. Her hair and makeup were immaculate and so were her clothes and she made everyone look (and feel) inferior. Kara hastily hid the necklace she had been wearing under her shirt and followed the others to the meeting point. She could already feel her heart beating faster and her palms sweating and they hadn't even started yet.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Process." A girl who looked much too young to even be there, let alone the one running this whole thing had appeared on the balcony above them. "As all of you know, this is the most important day of your lives. Whether you pass or fail is up to you. Make sure you do your best and then some and always remember, no matter who you are, you all deserve to be here and you all deserve what's to come."

"Well, that sounds just a little bit ominous," a young man whispered close to her ear, but Kara was too busy studying the Process leader and her every move.

"To begin," the girl continued after a short pause, "each of you will be interviewed individually by one of our agents." Murmurs could be heard all around as her gaze rose to a balcony higher up than the one he was on, where some people that had previously gone unnoticed were standing and Kara followed her eyes. A tall, imposing woman nodded at the girl who was speaking and, immediately after, Kara found herself staring straight into her intense eyes as if she had somehow sensed she was being watched. "Those of you who will pass, will then proceed to the next test," the girl carried on with her speech, but the words were background noise in Kara's mind now; that woman had certainly caught her attention and peaked her interest. "In the end of this elimination process, only a tenth of you will remain. Only a tenth of you will be worthy to live the rest of your lives in the Haven. So try your best; make yourselves and your families proud and come celebrate and live life as it was always meant to be lived. I wish you all a good luck." It was the sudden surge of talking all around her that brought her attention back to what was happening. She blinked rapidly a couple of times, apparently having forgotten to do so while staring at the woman on the balcony. The girl in front of them took one last look at the crowd before turning around to leave, not bothering to answer any of the many questions that the candidates were shooting her way. Kara followed the woman with her eyes as the latter made her way towards the girl and placed an obviously firm hand on her shoulder, making her wince slightly.

* * *

"You did good, Lena," the woman stated as she tightened her grip on the girl's shoulder. It was no doubt going to bruise later, Lena knew that. "You didn't stumble once."

"Thank you," she replied curtly. Anything more would be unnecessary, she knew that too.

"Now, don't get too comfortable. The interviews are about to begin."

"Are you sure I should be conducting one?" the girl asked despite herself and the woman's eyes narrowed.

"Have you no faith in yourself?" she asked.

"I have more than enough faith in myself," Lena defended immediately, making sure to keep her voice calm and level. "I'm not even of age yet, though. I'm not supposed to be here." That was something that had always bothered her. She really wasn't supposed to be there, not for another three years anyway and that was if she was capable to pass all the tests. It felt like cheating. It was cheating.

"You are supposed to be wherever I tell you to be, is that clear?" the woman hissed, her hand now moving to grip the back of the young girl's neck.

"Yes, ma'am," Lena nodded hastily.

"Good. Now off you go." The woman pushed her forward leading her off with the other agents who were headed to the interview rooms.

* * *

"All candidates please proceed to the interview rooms. The test will begin shortly." It was the same robotic voice that had earlier instructed everyone not to forget their locker number. Kara felt her heart rate pick up as she slowly followed a small group of people she had befriended in the same direction everyone was going.

"Are you nervous?" a young man, Winn as she had found out, asked her as he walked next to her.

Kara shook her head and took a deep breath. "No. My sister is already there and I promised her I'd go find her. I can't be nervous."

"I'm sure you'll do great. We all will." It sounded more like the man was trying to convince himself rather than anyone else.

"I know we will," Kara nodded with a smile.

"There's so many people," came a voice from behind the pair after a second of silence. The girl who had spoken was smiling, in spite of how nervous she looked. Kara could see her hands shaking. "By the time we get to the end, there'll be like fifty of us or something. Maybe not even that." Her voice was firm yet warm. "Well, in any case, I'll see you guys there," she smiled again a toothy grin, making both Kara and Winn chuckle. "I'm Lucy, by the way," she reached out for a handshake.

"Kara," the blonde smiled. "And this is Winn."

"You guys know each other?"

"No, we just met here. But we grew up in the same neighborhood, apparently."

Lucy's smile widened a little as she nodded. "Well, it's always nice to have a piece of home with you. My sister left me her bracelet to carry with me for good luck." She patted the front pocket of her pants knowingly. "She went through the tests a few years ago. We never got along, but I still hope she's okay. I'm kinda excited to see her if I'm being honest."

Kara offered the girl a smile but didn't say anything. She listened on as her and Winn fell into easy conversation, distracting themselves from the upcoming first test. An interview didn't sound so bad, really, right? Kara could do that, she could answer some questions, she could talk about stuff. She silently thanked Eliza for making sure both her and Alex got a well-rounded education, despite their limited means. Yes, the interview was the easy part.

It was another half an hour before it was their turn. A green light went on over the big, heavy-looking door they had been standing in front of, signaling them that it was their turn to make their way inside

The room was dark and it took Kara a few short moments for her eyes to adjust themselves to the sudden change. Once they did, she could see that there were rows upon rows of cubicles, each separated by a wall in an attempt to prevent everyone from seeing one another. The only light sources she could locate were the small light bulbs used to light up each of the cubicles, making for quite an eerie sight. There were already people sitting in the cubicles, clear plastic partitions, _'screens'_ , in front of them, the name of a candidate flashing on each one.

Kara was walking slowly, her eyes scanning every name trying to find her own when her gaze suddenly fell on one of the agents. It was the girl from before, the one giving the big entrance speech. Despite her mature getup and makeup, she still looked young; even younger now that Kara was seeing her up close. Her green eyes bored into her as she stared at her with an intensity that made the blonde gulp nervously. She hastily checked the name flashing in front of the brunette and sighed softly when she realized it wasn't hers. It took her another half a minute to find her cubicle and get herself seated. The agent assigned to interview her welcomed her with a small smile on his face, the sight making her feel a little bit more at ease. She could do this.

* * *

"Lillian Luthor. All set for another year of testing?" The tall woman paused mid-stride.

"You don't work here," she stated matter-of-factly as she eyed the young woman who had just spoken from head to toe. To say she was not impressed by her boyish stance and choice of clothing would be an understatement.

The newcomer chuckled amusedly. "No, no I don't. My name's Margarita Sawyer," she reached for a handshake but the gesture was never returned. "I was sent here to watch and evaluate the tests.

"I don't believe I got that memo," Lillian crossed her arms in front of her chest as she looked down at the woman in front of her.

"It was a last-minute decision, I'm afraid. Sorry for the inconvenience, but it appears that I am your memo."

"I see," the woman scoffed. "Well, I'll need to check your ID first."

"Of course," Maggie nodded. "One can never be too careful," she added as she rolled up her sleeve and turned her arm so that the inside of her elbow was visible. Lillian shone a red light on the spot and nodded in confirmation a moment later.

"Very well. If you'll follow me, Mrs. Sawyer, the next round of interviews is about to begin."

"You can call me Maggie. Mrs. Sawyer is my mother."

"And you can call me Mrs. Luthor."

* * *

"Hello."

"Hi- I- I mean- That was too informal. Hello, I mean hello." The man sitting across from her narrowed his eyes and Kara felt a lump forming in the back of her throat. First impression was definitely out the window.

"Please state your name."

"Kara Danvers," Kara immediately replied, her hands clasped tightly on the desk in front of her to keep them from fidgeting.

The man looked at her inquisitively. "Are you nervous, Kara Danvers?"

"No, sir, I'm not." She quickly relaxed her hands and slouched ever-so-slightly.

"Good," he nodded slowly. Kara could hear conversations going on all around her and she felt slightly nervous that her interviewer was simply staring at her. Had she messed up so bad already? "A very famous chemist," the man in front of her begun, snapping her attention back to him, "was found murdered in his kitchen today. The police have narrowed it down to six suspects. They know it was a two-man job. Their names are Felice, Maxwell, Archibald, Nicolas, Jordan, and Xavier." Kara struggled to remember every little detail of what she was being told. "A note was also found with the body with the numbers 26-3-58/28-27-57-16 written on it. Who are the killers? You have thirty seconds."

"Wh-what?" The blonde blinked feeling her brain short-circuiting.

"Twenty."

"Uhhh… Um, o- okay so…" She replayed everything in her head with as much detail as she could, her fingers drumming quickly on the desk and her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip as the cogs in her brain worked on overdrive.

"Ten."

"Felice and Nicolas," she blurted out just as the man was about to begin counting down to zero. He nodded for her to elaborate. "The- the numbers correspond to atomic numbers on the periodic table of elements," she explained. "Twenty-six is Iron, Fe. Three is Lithium, Li. Uh… Fifty-eight Cerium, Ce, twenty-eight Nickel, Ni, twenty-seven Cobalt, Co, fifty-seven is Lanthanum, La and- and sixteen is Sulfur, S." She could barely contain the relieved smile that spread across her lips as the interviewer nodded and looked at her, obviously impressed.

"Very well," he smiled back. "Now…" his voice drew out and Kara mentally prepared herself for another similar riddle. "I'm going to ask you a personal question." She nodded. "When was the last time you showered and washed your hair?" She felt the breath hitch in the back of her throat.

"When I had enough water to waste," she replied more quietly this time, trying to mask the embarrassment in her voice. The man nodded again. Kara was beginning to hate that. Sudden yelling coming from a cubicle close to her own made her jump in surprise.

"Are you even supposed to be here?" a man yelled, his hands banging on the desk.

A female voice, much calmer than his own, replied something that Kara was unable to make out. The man yelled again about how they were kicking out the best candidate they'd ever have, but, apparently, his interviewer was having none of it. He was escorted out of the room kicking and screaming a second later.

"Eliminated," the man explained and it took Kara a second to learn how to breathe again when she realized he was talking about what had just happened and wasn't, in fact, kicking her out as well.

"Are a lot of people eliminated during the interviews?" she asked despite herself.

"More than you'd think. This is a key process of picking out the bad seeds. You'd be surprised how many candidates fail even the most basic of questions. Now, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Um… Okay… Well, my name is Kara, but you know already, I… I used to live with my sister but she's been in the Haven for a year now, so I've been by myself. My parents are both dead… I've um… I've never-"

"Sister, you say?" he interrupted her.

"Yes. Her name's Alex- well, Alexandra Danvers, she's only a year older than me."

"Is she the one who gave this to you?" he asked nodding towards the half-hidden necklace around her neck.

"N- no. It was my mother's." Her hand moved to touch the pendant as if it had a mind of its own. "It's the only thing I have left from her."

"You said your mother is dead, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Is that why you keep it?"

"It's the only thing I have left from her," she repeated, her fingers still playing with the silver pendant.

"You could've sold it, you know," he stated. "Would have gotten you quite a bit of money too. Since it's silver and all."

"I know," was the only thing that came out of Kara's mouth.

"What do you think of death?" The interview had gone from riddles to talk of death and Kara could feel herself losing her train of thought. She wasn't prepared for this.

"I think it's a… it's a natural, inevitable um… event in everyone's lives and it's no use fearing it or trying to avoid it. It'll get us all, eventually."

"You have no fear of death." It was more of a statement with a slight question mark at the end.

Kara thought for a second. "More like… a curiosity," she settled on saying.

The interviewer nodded once again, his eyes scanning the clear screen in front of him. "And what if I told you to leave that necklace right here?" he tapped on the desk with his finger and raised an eyebrow, curious to see how everything would play out. Kara felt a familiar sting behind her eyes. "Are you going to cry, Kara Danvers?" She hastily shook her head, willing the tears away. She slowly wrapped her fingers around the silver chain and yanked it away from her neck. Her hand trembled slightly as she placed it on the desk in front of her. The man smiled in approval. "Congratulations," he said and Kara suddenly felt light-headed. "You may proceed to the next round." It was her turn to nod now as she pushed her chair back and got up.

"Thank you," she muttered throwing one last look at the silver pendant.

"I wouldn't be too excited to see your sister if I were you," came the man's voice from behind the screen once again. "Says here she's dead." Kara's jaw felt slack and she had to stifle a sob.

 **A/N: So... hi! Yeah, I don't really have any idea what I'm doing but this thing just wouldn't leave my mind. Reviews and feedback would be greatly appreciated as this is my first Supergirl story. Thanks for reading, you guys! ^^**

 **P.S: Any and all mistakes are mine and so is any OCCness you might come across**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This chapter is slightly darker than the previous one, so... tw: suicide and minor character death**

 **P.S: I still don't know what I'm doing.**

 **~TeelanaFalcao: I don't know... she could be xD Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

"I mean, they just asked me what I think the Haven will be like and what my biggest weakness is."

Kara had been relieved to see that both Winn and Lucy had passed the first round. They had both been out there, chatting with each other animatedly when she had finally exited the room, and they had both smiled widely when they saw her. She did her best to smile back.

"Oh, lucky. They had me solve riddles. But I'm pretty fast on my feet or so they told me," Winn joked. "What did you say your weakness is?"

"That I care too much about others. And that I'm a perfectionist," Lucy chuckled.

"You did not!" Winn' eyes widened in disbelief. "And they let you through?"

"Of course I didn't, what do you take me for?" she laughed. "I'm not gonna tell you my biggest weakness, though. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself," she winked playfully.

"Fair enough. Hey, Kara, what about you?" he frowned when the girl ignored him. "Kara?"

"What?" the blonde blinked a couple of times when she felt a sudden nudge on her shoulder.

"What did they ask you?"

"Oh uh… They just wanted me to talk about myself." The girl's voice was quiet and her speech a little slow; as if her mind was elsewhere.

"That's it?" Lucy asked. "You spent half an hour in there talking about yourself?" she laughed.

"And they had me do riddles." Both Winn and Lucy were about to say something when voices from an upper floor interrupted them.

"Please, everyone who has been eliminated come this way," one of the higher-ups was saying leading a group of people down a corridor. Most of them were crying. Quite a few were yelling as well, screaming that it was unfair for them to be eliminated so soon, while some begged for a second chance. It was a truly heartbreaking sight.

"I feel sorry for them…" Lucy mumbled as they all stood there and looked up at the ones who had to leave. "The guy in the cubicle next to mine completely lost his shit in there. I think he punched the screen too, security had to drag him out. It was so bad."

"You can't just kick us out like that, we have rights!" a yell echoed through the building.

"Speak of the devil…" came a whisper from Lucy. "I think that's him."

"He probably has some anger issues," Winn remarked, his eyes glued to the people on the balcony above them. "You can't come here and expect to scream and punch your way to the Haven."

"No, you can't…" Kara commented for the first time in the last few minutes. She recognized the man as the one who had been yelling at his interviewer and seeing him like that now made it all the more clear that he was not cut out for any of this.

"You!" he screamed suddenly, his finger pointing to one of the higher-ups. It was that girl again. "You'll pay for this!" He suddenly lunged at her, his hands wrapping around her neck. There was a collective gasp from all around and it took everyone a second to realize what was happening so that they could act. The guy was roughly torn away from his interviewer, a big, bulky man standing between them.

"Please follow the rest of the eliminated participants down the hall to your left," the guard said as he shielded the young woman. "Additional information about mental support will be provided after you pick up your clothes." It was silent for a moment and a wave of relief washed over everyone. The young man had begun walking in the direction that was indicated to him so he was no longer visible to the ones standing downstairs.

"Please keep heading to the waiting area. You will be informed about the next round of tests there," a woman with her hair in a ridiculous-looking bun spoke. Kara would have chuckled if things had been any different. They had only taken a couple more steps when a shrill scream cut through the air making everyone freeze on their tracks. They didn't even have enough time to look up as a blurry weight fell right in front of them, accompanied by a loud, disturbing thud. The man from before had just jumped off the balcony.

"Everyone come this way, let our doctors take a look at him." Kara stumbled slightly as two men carrying a stretcher made their way to the fallen man. 'It's no use,' she thought but she couldn't will the words out of her mouth. 'It's no use, he's dead.'

"Don't let this interfere with the rest of your tests," a tall, imposing woman walked through the crowd. It was the same woman Kara had seen during the welcome speech, the one who made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "This is still the most important day of your lives, don't let one minor setback throw you off." It was unsettling how calm she was being.

"Minor setback?!" Kara heard Lucy exclaim in disbelief, but she did acknowledge it in any way. She felt her hands tremble and her heart thud against her ribcage as she kept staring at the sight in front of her. She felt herself being guided away as a voice spoke in the background of her mind, something about counseling, but she couldn't focus enough to listen; her eyes and mind were still glued to the unmoving man, limbs bent in all the wrong angles and blood pooling around his head. Managing to tear her eyes away, she glanced to her side, realizing that neither Winn nor Lucy was faring much better. Neither did anyone else, judging by the heavy breathing and the choked sobs that could be heard from all around. She turned her gaze upstairs where an obviously distraught girl, that girl , was leaning over, her hand clasped tightly over her mouth and her eyes wide and terrified. Last Kara saw of her, she was being led away in a similar fashion to her and the rest of the remaining participants.

* * *

"Can you believe it? I never thought I'd witness anyone dying from this close…" Winn's voice trailed off as his eyes looked around the room they were currently in.

"At least his family will think he passed. They'll be happy…" Lucy chimed in somberly.

"No one will be happy."

"No, they will," came Kara's voice, hoarse and quiet. "No one will know he died. The ones back- back home will think he passed and the ones already in the Haven will think he failed. They'll never think he died."

"You sound… certain…"

"I am. The uh…" she nodded and sighed when she realized that it wasn't enough of an explanation "The interviewer told me my sister is dead." Winn and Lucy both gasped, their eyes wide. "When she didn't come back after her tests, it never even crossed my mind that something bad had happened to her. I was happy cause I thought she passed… So… So they'll be happy too."

"I'm so so sorry…" Lucy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before moving in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Kara…" Winn offered her a sympathetic look and squeezed one of her hands gently.

"It's fine," Kara sighed. "I'll still make her proud. I'll try twice as hard now; for both of us."

"Candidates please proceed to the registration desks in an orderly fashion." The speakers had once again come back to life.

* * *

"Do you have to follow me around everywhere, Miss Sawyer?" To say Lillian Luthor was annoyed would be an understatement.

"It's what I'm here to do, Lillian, I'm just doing my job." The younger woman widened her strides to keep up with Lillian's longer ones. The casual use of her first name wasn't lost on the woman who scoffed in disapproval. "When is the next test?" asked Maggie as they took a right turn that led to a long corridor with doors on either side.

"Not until everyone has been registered. It may be a while." Lillian entered her room and kept herself from rolling her eyes when Maggie followed close behind.

"Then you wouldn't mind me asking some questions?"

"As long as you make it quick, Miss Sawyer. I have a meeting in about fifteen minutes," she settled herself on a chair, not offering one to Maggie who remained standing. "Mr. Corben, please remind Lena that she's supposed to be here shortly." The man who was standing by the door nodded and walked outside, leaving the two women by themselves. "I'm listening, Miss Sawyer."

"I know you're a busy woman, Lillian, but if I waited for you to have some free time, we'd never get the chance to talk."

"And yet you keep wasting what little downtime I have, Miss Sawyer. I'd appreciate it if you got to the actual questions sooner rather than later." Maggie had arrived there already disliking Lillian Luthor and the woman was only making it worse for herself.

She sighed and plastered an obviously fake smile on her face. "Right. I was wondering, Lillian," from the moment she had been told by the woman to call her Mrs. Luthor, she knew she wasn't going to, "are you happy with the results of the tests in the last five years?"

"Of course I am. I have set a new record on productivity levels, have I not?"

"Indeed you have," Maggie confirmed. "And yet, the ones passed during your... leadership," she fought to keep her eyes from rolling, "have trouble adapting to the ways of the Haven."

"They merely scored lower than the productivity levels. Which, once again, are record high. I was never expecting any of them to score higher, that would be absurd."

"With your son's unfortunate… departure, it must be hard managing the Process by yourself."

"Is there a question coming?"

"Is that why you have someone who is not yet of age training to take the reigns?"

Lillian's jaw clenched slightly. "It's what Lex wanted. And I am nothing if not a considerate mother, Miss Sawyer. I wasn't going to let my son's wish go to waste."

"Aren't you worried about what the other members of the Haven might say? About what the candidates might say too, having someone so young leading a process they have yet to pass themselves?"

"Lena is a big girl, she can take care of herself. And I have no doubt that she will pass all the tests when her time comes. Until that time comes, however, it's my job to make sure she's fully prepared and equipped for the future, isn't it?"

Maggie nodded slowly. "I suppose it is."

It was a soft knock on the door that put an end to the discussion. As Lillian pushed a button and the door slid open, Maggie immediately recognized the person waiting outside.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were busy. I can come back," Lena said and prepared to leave only to be stopped by Lillian's voice calling after her.

"Nonsense. Miss Sawyer was just leaving," she threw a pointed look at Maggie who did not budge.

"Actually, I'd like it if I could sit in during your meeting," the brunette stated as she sat down on the arm of an armchair. "If you don't mind of course."

"Of course," Lillian huffed before turning her attention to Lena. "I called you here about the man who killed himself," she said with a chilling coldness in her voice as Lena's hand unconsciously reached to touch her neck where the man had grabbed her. "I understand that you were the one conducting his interview."

The girl nodded. "I- I did his evaluation like we're supposed to, he… He talked for a long time without actually saying anything, it was all so rehearsed. I… I didn't…"

"I'm not here to judge you or your decisions, Lena." The girl frowned in confusion; that was a first. "I'm worried about you." Okay, that was definitely a first. "It's not rare for people to kill themselves after they've been eliminated. They are weak, their actions only prove further that they deserved to be eliminated." Her firm voice did nothing to help the girl. "But, when something like this happens... It has an effect on people, and it's okay to admit you're not okay, sweetheart." The word sounded foreign to Lena's ears, and she was certain it had left a bitter taste in Lillian's mouth. "Don't be afraid of your feelings, Lena. What that young man did was pathetic. He was pathetic." Lillian rose from her seat and took one of Lena's hands in her own pulling her up as well, slowly guiding her over to the sink so that she could see herself in the mirror. "But you, my dear, you are better than that, aren't you?" Lena nodded hesitantly while staring at her reflection. She could see tears running down her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy. She felt more than saw Lillian's hand snaking its way to the back of her neck. "So much better..."

She barely had time to register what was happening before Lillian pushed her head down and into the sink that was filled to the brim with water. In her panic, she didn't manage to take a deep breath and she found herself flailing around as the sudden lack of oxygen burned her lungs. She could feel water making its way to her windpipes which only served to make the pain and panic worse, but there was nothing she could do. She tried to pry Lillian's hand away from her neck, only to have her arm grasped and pulled back by the obviously stronger woman.

"Lillian." It was that woman, Miss Sawyer, Lillian had called her, Lena recognized the voice despite the haziness of her brain. She was trying to help her, 'please let her help. Please.' "Lillian, stop!" She too tried to push the woman away, but her height had never been a bigger disadvantage until that moment. "Stop!" she yelled as she practically threw herself at the woman, but she didn't budge. "Mrs. Luthor, stop!" She held her breath when she saw Lena's movements falter and slow down. It was then that Lillian decided it was enough and she pulled the girl back up.

Lena gasped for air as she felt her head emerging from the water. Her tears were mixed with it now, her makeup running down her face and her braid ruined. She coughed several times as the liquid spluttered out of her mouth. It hurt to breathe. Lillian didn't speak when Lena looked at her, her breathing still heavy and her eyes swarming with questions that would go unanswered. Instead, she led the girl to the door, pressed the button to open it and pushed her gently out.

"One day, you'll understand," she said in a low voice as the door slid shut once again. Maggie was simply left staring.

* * *

"Can we please move a little faster?" a man's annoyed voice sounded from the line next to the one Kara was waiting in.

"Why, you got somewhere to be?" It was the girl in front of Kara the one who had asked. "If so, then by all means. Don't let us keep you." And it was clear she did not like the man.

"What's up?" Winn asked curiously and made her groan.

"I just can't stand people like him," she raised her shoulders as she spoke. "We're all here for the same reason, he's not gonna miss his turn if he waits a minute longer ." She raised her voice on the last part of her sentence so that the man would hear her.

"Next," the woman from the front desk interrupted their quarrel. It was the girl's turn and that made the man glare at her.

"Wanna go ahead of me? I fear you might actually explode if you wait any longer." She gestured for him to cut in front of her in line earning a suspicious look from him and a loud groan from everyone else within earshot.

"What are you playing at, girly?" he asked while walking over to the registration desk.

"Call me girly again, and they'll only find your fingers," she hissed taking a step towards him.

"Next," the woman repeated, her tone indicating that she was having absolutely none of whatever was going on.

"Mike," the man stated his name and received a blank stare from the woman.

"Yeah, that won't do. I'll need to check your ID."

He turned his arm so that the inside of his elbow would be visible.

The brunette saw him gulp nervously and she knew something was up. The scanner beeped and flashed red. "Huh," she mumbled under her breath, her brain already working on finding an explanation. The woman scanned again, this time getting a green light. The name 'Mike' flashed on the screen. She was unable to see the last name, however.

"Who does this guy think he is?" she turned around to ask Kara and Winn who were both sporting matching grins.

"Whoever he is, he's not gonna make it far," Winn stated. "Not with that attitude."

* * *

"Is any of the test rooms actually well-lit?" Kara couldn't help but ask as her and a group of five other people made their way inside yet another dark room, where the next test was about to take place. She was relieved to see she was in the same group as Winn and Lucy, and the other three of the four people seemed quite nice as well. She had managed to talk a little with two of them, and she had found out they were pretty cool and interesting people. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the last member of their group; Mike. And if she was unhappy about being grouped with him, the brunette who had given him her place in line was furious.

"I don't care about the room, I care about the people inside," the young woman glared at Mike who glared back in return. She cursed herself for letting him cut in front of her.

"On the table in front of you, you will find pencils, papers, and erasers; please don't touch anything yet. On the papers, you will find a series of puzzles." Kara wondered if someone was playing some kind of joke on her because that was the fourth time she was seeing this girl that day, and now she was even the one managing the group. "For this next test, each of you will have ten minutes to solve as many puzzles as possible," Lena explained, her eyes landing briefly on the faces in front of her. She saw that blonde girl staring at her and it made her slightly self-conscious and quite curious. "You don't have to solve the puzzles in order, but anything less than four correct answers will get you eliminated." A counter appeared floating in front of them, in the center of the circular table they were all standing around. "You may begin."

Scratching of pencils on paper, that was all Kara could hear and it was pulling her out of focus. She tried to block everything out and, for the most part, she was successful. The puzzles were harder than she expected, but then again, a simple 2 plus 2 equals 4 wouldn't be enough to qualify someone for going to the Haven, would it? There was groaning and sighing all around and she could both hear and see that everyone was having a hard time with this. How were they even supposed to figure out which animal comes next in a sequence of seven random animals anyway? She was going to fail.

"Badger," came a whisper from her right, and it would have gone unheard, had Kara been trying a little harder to block the sounds around her. The girl she had met in line winked at her as she turned her attention back to her own paper.

The rest of the puzzles were not any easier. If anything they were harder and everyone ended up scribbling furiously until the last nanosecond. As soon as the counter reached zero, they all raised their hands in the air, their chest heaving and their breathing heavy. If anyone was to walk in on them, they'd think they had been exercising instead of solving impossible puzzles for ten minutes. Lena, who had been standing on the sidelines until then, approached the table and looked over the papers.

"Like I said," she began, "anything less than four correct answers and you'll be eliminated." She had gone to pick up Winn's paper when a commotion broke out in the other side of the table between Mike and another man.

"That's my paper!" the man yelled as he pounced on Mike who quickly threw his arms up to defend himself. "That's my paper, he took it from me!" he kept yelling as Lena tried to get between the two men and stop the altercation.

'Remember, Lena, anything less than four correct answers and they have to go,' her little earpiece suddenly crackled to life.

"Stop. Stop it," she said in as calm a voice as she could muster but to no avail. She hastily pressed a button on the wall, signaling for security to come in and break the fight. "I'm sorry," she said when the man who attacked was pulled away from her and Mike. "You only have three correct answers, I'm afraid you've been eliminated." She hated this.

"What? No, he cheated!" The man fought against the guard who was roughly pulling him out of the room. "He stole my paper!"

"I'm sorry," Lena muttered once again as the man was led away and she looked over Mike's paper. "Five correct. You passed," she stated, throwing a barely covered disgusted look first at him and then at the camera in the upper right corner of the room. No one else said anything.

Everyone who was left in the room ended up passing as well, Kara earning an impressed and curious look when she showed eight correct answers instead of the required five. After the girl next to her had helped her with the first answer, her brain had finally started working properly and she found the rest of the solutions fairly easy. She once again internally thanked Eliza for pushing her to solve more and more riddles as she grew older, no matter how good at them she already was.

"Congratulations, everyone," Lena spoke after a while. "You are all free to rest until it's time for the next test. Please follow the signs to the food court where you can recuperate." Her speech sounded stiff and rehearsed. She caught Kara's eyes, however, and a small smile appeared on her lips. 'That's the most amount of emotion she's shown since she screamed when that man jumped off the balcony,' Kara thought as she returned the smile with a timid one of her own. "Good job," Lena said in a softer tone this time, her eyes never leaving Kara's.

"Thanks," the blonde mumbled as she hurriedly turned around to follow the rest of her group.

 **A/N: Thaaank you for the alerts and the faves, you guys! Come find me on tumbler dot com itsaroseforrose ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So... Things are kinda happening? But also kinda not cause filler if I'm being perfectly honest. Hope you guys still enjoy, though! ^^**

Maggie glared at the back of Lillian's head as they both made their way through the halls to an unknown, to her, destination. They had spent their time in Lillian's quarters, watching the test taking place and to say that Maggie was unimpressed by what she had just witnessed in one of the rooms would be the understatement of the century.

"That man cheated," she hissed as her strides led her next to the taller woman.

"He had five correct answers on his sheet, Miss Sawyer."

"But that wasn't his sheet, he took it from the man next to him. He caused him to be eliminated when it clearly should have been the other way around. How can you stand for this?"

"I thought you were only here to observe," Lillian's tone was cold as if she was raising a wall between them. Not that there wasn't a wall there to begin with, but it only grew stronger.

"And evaluate," Maggie stated. "What am I supposed to take away from this other than that the entire process is unfair and unjust?"

"This isn't as much about the process itself, Miss Sawyer, as it is about the people who make it through," she explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Even if the people who make it through lie and cheat their way there?"

"It shows character, don't you think? Being willing to go anything to pass."

"It shows lack of basic human decency."

"I gather you were one of those who never did anything questionable to pass a test, then? Never even… peaked at an answer?" Lillian paused and crossed her arms over her chest, her stature making her look imposing to the shorter woman.

"Of course not."

"Oh well, you see, that's not what I remember. Wasn't it you and Miss… Danvers, was it? who by some stroke of luck never had to take the final test?" She raised an eyebrow.

Maggie paled slightly at the mention of the name. "No," she stated only a moment later. "You must be thinking of someone else."

"Yes… I must." Lillian resumed her walking and Maggie was left there to steel herself and keep following.

* * *

Walking down a long hall towards the food court, Kara found herself next to the brunette who had helped her not ten minutes ago. She was tall, maybe a little taller than Kara herself, and the girl found herself studying her features, noticing how the hardships of living in the slums had made her look a little older. She briefly wondered if she too looked older than she was.

"Hey, uh…?"

"Sam," the girl laughed.

"Sam, hi! Thanks for the help in there, I really-"

"Don't mention it." she shook her head and gestured her hands dismissively. "You didn't really seem to need it after all anyway, did you? With your eight correct answers and all." It was Kara's turn to laugh this time, heat rising up to her cheeks.

"I was just really stuck on that first one," she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's fine, having a huge timer in your face can make anyone's brain go blank, to be honest."

"Right?" Kara felt the tension slowly leave her body, her smile growing a lot more genuine. The two reached the meeting spot a couple of minutes later, Kara's eyes immediately spotting Winn and Lucy at a table, eating their weight in delicious-looking food.

"You think they'll share?" came the amused question from Sam.

"I wouldn't count on it, we better get our own," the blonde laughed. "Plus, I don't really want to commit myself to sharing food either, so…"

Kara could make out different conversations as she and Sam went to pick up what was left of the food. Some people already knew each other and were hanging out as they waited for the next test, while others, like her and the little group of people she had found herself being part of, had decided to flock together in an attempt to not go through this by themselves.

"So… That was interesting in there," Winn commented as soon as Kara and Sam sat down. "Winn," he introduced himself immediately after.

"Sam, hi."

"Interesting? That asshole cheated! And that bitch fucking let him! Is this what the Haven is like? Filled with cheaters and douchebags?" It was safe to say that Lucy was livid.

"It didn't seem like it was the moderator's choice, though," Kara offered with a raise of her shoulders. "She seemed as displeased about it as we all were."

"She was the one who let the other guy be eliminated, though. She's as much to blame."

"She ," Sam started and leaned in closer to the others as if trying not to be overheard by anyone, "is the daughter of the one running this whole thing. She's lived her entire life in the Haven, I don't think she'd ever risk going against her mother's wishes and end up in the slums." There was a collective gasp from everyone on the table.

"That's Lena Luthor? You know, I was almost convinced she was made-up," Lucy laughed. "Everyone's always talking about 'the kid in the Haven', but no one's actually ever seen her. Must be nice to be this privileged."

"What do you mean 'the kid in the Haven'," asked Kara, her voice filled with curiosity.

"There are no children in the Haven," she replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Didn't you know?"

"No? How do you know?"

"What, do they just send all the babies to the other side of the wall or something?" It seemed that Kara wasn't the only one who had no idea.

"Maybe? I don't know. A friend of mine told me a while back, so…"

"So we shouldn't really take their word for it," Winn observed and they all chuckled. "Anyway, isn't she like… Seventeen or something? Do you think she'll have to go through the tests too?"

"Well, we all know that Lillian Luthor is a major bitch, so it won't be a huge surprise if we see her daughter in the slums in a few years."

"You say that as if you believe we're gonna be in the slums in a few years."

Lucy huffed, "doubt it. I mean, have you seen us? We are so gonna ace this shit!"

"I like your enthusiasm." Everyone froze at the sound of the new voice, their faces an identical picture of disgust and anger.

"What do you want?" Sam turned around to face the newcomer.

"Is that a way to greet a friend?"

Sam's jaw dropped in disbelief. "A what now? Last time I checked, you were a cheating ass who got someone else eliminated."

"Hey, if you got a problem, take it up with her," Mike pointed to somewhere across the room and they all turned around to look. "She's the one who let me pass." His tone was arrogant and it made Kara roll her eyes. Her eyes that were still glued to the girl across the room.

"You shouldn't have cheated in the first place," Lucy quipped.

"I'm here to win, not get kicked out after the second test. Maybe you should start seeing it my way, too. Could actually give you a chance…"

Kara managed to tune the voices out as she focused on Lena Luthor. It was odd that she was there, seemingly the only higher-up in the room, but what was even odder was the fact that she seemed to be staring back at Kara with equal intensity. It didn't register in the blonde's brain right away that she was also being stared at, but, when it did, she snapped her body around so fast she almost toppled over right out of her chair.

"What just happened?" asked Winn who was the only one not participating in the fight with Mike.

Kara shook her head rapidly, her eyes downcast. "Nothing. I just slipped."

"You're sitting on a chair," the young man deadpanned.

"So, it's a slippery chair."

"I don't-"

"Just eat your fruit and shut up," Kara shoved a slice of orange in his hands, managing to smear its juices everywhere in the process. When she looked up, Lena was gone.

* * *

She walked as fast as her feet could carry her without breaking into a run. There were a lot of things that she was never supposed to do and running was definitely close to the top of the list. She walked decisively; she had a goal in mind.

"Will you follow me to the bathroom as well, Miss Sawyer, or do you think I can go there by myself?" Lena halted abruptly and ducked behind a corner when Lillian's clearly annoyed voice reached her ears. She pressed herself against the wall as the tall woman walked right past her, thankfully missing her. A couple of seconds later, the girl chanced a glance to where she assumed the other woman, Miss Sawyer, would be waiting and was relieved to see that there was no one there. Her steps didn't falter again until she reached her destination; Lillian's personal chambers.

"Well, if it isn't _Lena Luthor_. How is the life of the most special child, snowflake?"

 _'Shit,'_ she thought as she turned around to face the man who had just spoken to her. "Mr. Edge," her smile was sickeningly sweet. "How is the life of the most hated man in the Haven? Terrible, I hope?"

The man laughed as he took a step closer. "I see dear Lillian has done her job well. You have spunk, kid."

"Oh, I assure you, Mr. Edge, Lillian had nothing to do with it." She smiled smugly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I kind of have better things to do." She didn't give the man a chance to reply as she walked inside the room and shut the door behind her. She leaned with her back against it and let out a deep breath; she hated that man. He was slimy and weasel-like and he seemed like one of those people whose hands were always sweaty. Lena was happy she had yet to find that out for herself.

She worked quickly and methodically. Her fingers danced over the touch screen as she searched for the tapes of the two tests that had taken place that morning. The girl's name was Kara Danvers, she knew that much; she had to know since she was in the group she was in charge of for the second test. It took her less than a minute to find Kara's interview tape. She skipped through it, a smile forming on her lips as she watched the blonde solving the riddle Hank had posed her. To say she was impressed by the girl's ability to think fast and to apparently remember the periodic table by heart would be an understatement; not a lot of people had that kind of knowledge before going to the Haven. People living on the other side of the wall were rarely able to provide that for their children. She skipped forward a little more, reaching the final minutes of the tape. She listened as Kara talked about her sister and her mother and saw her fight back tears as Hank asked her to take off the necklace she had been wearing. The man had been kind of hard on her, but not unreasonably so. Yet Lena couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl who left the silver pendant on the table and stared at her interviewer as he informed her that she had passed. Lena was about to exit the tape when she caught Hank's last words to the young woman. The voice was a little bit muffled, but she could make out what was being said. Kara's sister was apparently dead, and judging by the way the blonde staggered a little and her jaw dropped open, she didn't know.

With her heart beating fast and her lips pursed in a tight line, Lena quickly exited the interviews tape and left the screen just the way she had found it; last thing she wanted was for Lillian to find out she had been snooping around without permission. She paused abruptly at one point, thinking she heard someone at the door. When she turned around, however, there was no one there and she cursed her paranoid nature. On the other side, Maggie had her ear pressed against the cold door in an attempt to catch what was going on inside. She quickly left when she heard Lena's footsteps get closer and she watched as the girl put something in her pocket and made her way to the opposite direction in hasty steps. Her hand immediately flew to her ear, where a barely visible earpiece was located and turned it on.

"The little one is up to something," she muttered, her voice low and quiet. "I don't know what yet, but I'll keep an eye out." She promptly turned the device back off and left in search of the older Luthor. She couldn't leave her alone for too long, after all.

* * *

"So what do you think we'll have to do next?" Everyone was still lounging in the food court having lost all sense of time. It felt like they had been there for days already, yet it couldn't have been more than a little over two hours.

"I don't know, but I don't want it to be riddles again. I hope it's something physical," came Lucy's voice and Winn and Kara both groaned.

"Oh, I hope it's a race or something. We could so beat that Mike douche, he doesn't seem like the fast type," Sam pitched in and everyone chuckled.

"Or it could be a fistfight. He didn't seem like the strong type either," Lucy laughed.

"I don't think we'll have to wait for the next test to see someone fist fight Mike…" They all turned to look.

"Oh shit, looks like someone beat us to the punch line," Sam stated in a serious tone as she turned around to see everyone's reactions to her incredible, according to herself, pun. "See what I did there?" she asked grinning and earned a collective groan from everyone at the table.

In the other end of the room, Mike and a man much taller and definitely much stronger than he was had suddenly found themselves in a bundle on the floor. There was yelling, a crowd had begun forming around them, and it would have gotten serious had a young woman not stepped in between them. She pushed the bigger man away and pulled Mike to his feet throwing cold and hard glances at both of them.

"Damn, she is _hot_ ," Lucy all but whistled. "What? She is!"

"Do you think they know each other?"

"Well, if they don't, she's probably into him."

"Who? Mike?"

"Yeah… Beautiful girl, terrible taste…"

They all spent a few more minutes, or hours, no one could really tell anymore, discussing the possibility of a girl like that being interested in a guy like Mike, coming to the conclusion that they just had to be related as there was no fucking way -Lucy especially was very vocal about this- for her to actually like him.

"Do you think there's a bathroom here?" Kara's voice sounded at least an octave higher after a few moments of her fidgeting on her seat which earned her a few chuckles and raised eyebrows.

"It's right through there," Sam pointed to a large set of doors on their right.

"Oh, gosh, thanks!" The blonde practically flew out of her seat, more chuckles following her abrupt departure.

* * *

People were having sex in the bathroom. Two minutes after she had gotten into an empty stall, the door next to it had slammed open and then shut and now there was moaning all around.

Kara could feel an intense blush taking over her entire face all the way to her ears and she wished more than anything for her hearing to go away. She half wanted to make a noise, let the people know that they weren't alone, but that would mean she would have to make herself known and shereally didn't want to do that. So she decided to wait it out. Of course, after five of the most awkward minutes of her entire life went by, she realized that that wasn't such a good idea either. The… sounds were only getting louder and her desire to flush herself down the toilet grew with them.

As quietly as she could, she unlocked the stall door and made her way outside. She was almost all the way out of the bathroom when a particularly loud moan let her know who one of the two people in there was; she was pretty sure she could guess the other person after that. With her face still flushed and beet red, the blonde ran out the door, crashing onto someone in the process and sending them sprawling to the ground; she was luckier as she managed to steady herself at the very last second but no less disoriented. It was a groan coming from the person on the floor that brought her mind back to reality.

"Oh, golly, I'm so sorry, are you ok-" her breathing stilled mid-sentence as blue eyes landing on green and her blush returned full force as she momentarily forgot how to speak. "Are you okay?" she mumbled a second later and offered her hand to the girl to help her up.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it," Lena smiled and let the girl's strong arm pull her up.

"Sorry… I wasn't looking where I was going…"

"I'd say," the brunette chuckled.

The two looked at each other for a moment more, both trying to decide what the best course of action would be. "I know you," Kara said all of a sudden, causing Lena to arch her eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, you do, don't you?"

The blonde nodded. "You're Lena Luthor," she stated, letting the fact that she had no idea who the girl was until very recently go unmentioned.

Lena didn't seem too happy about Kara's reply. "Well, you know my name . Now if you'll excuse me," she abruptly straightened herself up, slipped her mask back into place and turned to walk away, leaving a confused-looking Kara behind.

It only took her a second to snap out of it and chase after the shorter girl. "Did- did I say something wrong?" she asked when she fell into pace alongside her.

"I don't particularly like associating myself with people who claim to know me." Her voice was cold this time and it sounded wrong to Kara's ears. Which was weird, considering she had only just met the girl and she had no real idea what she was actually like, but that train of thought would have to wait.

"Okay, well… I know of you," Kara tried. "I- I mean, I've heard about you…? Gosh, this is a disaster, I'm sorry." She sighed and mentally berated herself. "Hey, why don't we start over?" she asked, her hand grasping Lena's elbow, preventing her from walking any further. "Hi," she reached out for a handshake with a bright smile on her lips, "I'm Kara and I _definitely_ didn't crash into you just now. And I also have _no_ idea who you are, but I'd love to find out."

Lena smiled. Not as brightly as Kara had, but it was still something. "I'm Lena," she introduced herself, shaking Kara's hand.

"That's a pretty name," Kara breathed while trying to keep herself from blushing for the third time in ten minutes.

"Thank you, Miss Danvers."

"M- Miss Danv… Wh- How do you know?"

Lena chuckled again, noting how it was the most she had felt at ease in a long while. "Well, it is kind of my job to know about you. Not- _you_ you," she added when Kara frowned in confusion, "all of you who are taking the tests. I've read up on all of you."

"That's a lot of people to read up on." Lena hummed noncommittally and raised her shoulders. A few more seconds passed before either of them spoke again.

"So, um… I was actually kind of looking for you." It was the brunette who broke the silence and she did so by saying the last thing Kara expected her to say.

"You- you were?"

"Yes. I did some extra research after I saw you staring at me during lunch," she explained, smiling at the sight of a lovely pink color rising to the blonde's cheeks.

"You saw that…"

"Was I not supposed to? You weren't being very discreet."

"So anyway…" Kara cleared her throat awkwardly and fought to keep her blush at bay. "Why were you looking for me?"

Lena shook her head, her eyes darting around suddenly in search of anyone else present. "Not now," she whispered. "You think you can meet me after the next test? By the exit."

"I mean… Sh- Sure? I don't even know if I'm gonna pass the next test, though, what if I don't?"

"That's why I said by the exit," the brunette explained. "If you don't make it through, you'll have to go there." Kara nodded, unable to place the foreign feeling in her stomach caused by hearing the girl in front of her saying that she may not pass.

"I'll be there," she agreed after a second, earning a small, relieved smile from the brunette.

"Good. I have to go now, you know your way back?" It was only then that Kara realized they had left the food court altogether and had found themselves at a part of the building she hadn't been before.

"I'm sure I can manage," she mumbled as she looked around curiously.

"Okay then. I'll see you later, then." Lena offered one last smile before continuing walking in the opposite direction of the food court. "And Kara?" she paused and called over her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do great." Kara could have sworn she saw Lena wink as she spoke but she was too busy trying to remember how to breathe again to know for sure.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading you guys! Let me know what you thought of this one ^^ I'll be honest with you, this wasn't my favorite chapter cause I thought it was kinda boring... I dunno if it was me having read it a million times or if it really is boring so... drop me a word? Let me know if the pacing is okay? Reviews make my day! Oh, also, so sorry if some characters (Lucy in particular) seem OOC, it's been ages since I watched season 1**


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